Speaker's wife cast as 'House of Cards' senator

Actor Kevin Spacey, center, during rehearsal at the Maryland State House this week. The building was closed to the public, but those who work there snapped blurry, long-distance photos.

Actor Kevin Spacey, center, during rehearsal at the Maryland State House this week. The building was closed to the public, but those who work there snapped blurry, long-distance photos. (Erin Cox / The Baltimore Sun)

As the Netflix political thriller "House of Cards" took over the Maryland State House for filming this week, House Speaker Michael E. Busch found himself not only hushed by film crews outside his office, but also outranked by his wife.

Crews from the multi-chapter drama of greed and ambition filmed part of the show's second season in Annapolis, transforming the House of Delegates chamber into a set for the U.S. Senate. Busch's wife Cynthia was cast as an extra.

"I spend my whole life becoming Speaker of the House, and my wife's up there being a U.S. Senator," Busch joked Tuesday afternoon.

Reporters, political staff, lawmakers and lobbyists with access to the closed-to-the-public Maryland State House have peeked in from the gallery and done slow walks by the set during filming. They've snapped fuzzy, long-distance photos of Kevin Spacey, who plays the scheming character of Majority Leader Frank Underwood. One state worker posed with the set and posted it to his Facebook page.

Del. Guy Guzzone, meanwhile, said he just glanced in the chamber, just to see which "senator" was sitting in his regular seat.

When the new Netflix political drama "House of Cards" debuts Friday, Harford County viewers are likely to see some familiar faces and places. Filming for the series is based in the county, and some local residents landed small parts or extra roles in the series, which also has other Harford...